Thursday, November 27, 2008

So, it's that time of year again - even though the weather has switched again and brought us southerners sunny skies and temperatures in the 60's! - we're sitting at table with our dear friends the Rickards, facing more food than 5 people could possibly eat, laughing a lot, and getting ready for a weekend of playing games and eating leftovers. Wherever you are, we hope you, too, are surrounded by those you love, enjoying each other's company, and recognizing all you have to thankful for. Peace on Earth.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

High temperatures over the last few days have been in the 40's and overnight lows have been in the 20's - it even snowed a bit one afternoon this week! Yesterday, I broke into the box of sweaters in the closet when planning my outfit for the day. While this would not be at all unusual in my native Ohio at this time of year, for some reason I find it really odd for North Carolina. I wonder if that means I'm getting acclimated to Southern weather?

Saturday, November 15, 2008

THE FUNNY THINGS:Cathy and Bruce, about rolling during combat: I should really get a different die. - We like that one just fine.Cathy, about the adventure we're currently running: I don't think this module is very well thought out, because some of things it tells me to do are stupid!Bruce, after rolling poorly on one of his spells: It does TWO points of damage, to everybody, although they can Reflex Save for half.

THE ADVENTURE:Bruised and fatigued, the adventurers decided this was a good time to call a halt. The chamber they were in looked easily defensible, so they began setting up camp. Felan used Read Magic to figure out what the scrolls they'd found actually were, he also used Detect Magic to check over the other items they'd acquired. Anaka used Opportunistic Piety on the druid again for good measure. Then they turned in with Asteriskes and Admiral Barky taking the first watch. Felan woke up two hours later and relieved them. Anaka joined him 6 hours later. The night passed uneventfully.

Once they'd cleaned up, the party headed back out the way they'd entered the previous night. They began retracing their steps, heading back across the narrow bridge, on their way to investigating another path that they had passed the day before. As they exited the bridge, a Dire Bat swooped down at Asteriskes, but missed.

Anaka hit with another spear for 3; Dire Bat retaliated, but missed Anaka; Admiral Barky barked in frustration, unable to reach the adversary; Asteriskes hit the Dire Bat for 10; Felan hit with a spear for 4.

Anaka missed with her spear; Dire Bat continued its combat with Anaka, but missed; Admiral Barky barked; Asteriskes shot again, but missed; Felan also missed.

Anaka hit again for 4; Dire Bat continued to attack Anaka, but missed; Admiral Barky continued to hold his action; Asteriskes missed; Felan hit for 2.

Anaka hit for 4 again; Dire Bat retaliated, missing again; Admiral Barky attacked the bat as it came by Anaka, hitting for 8 and killing it.

After retrieving their spent rounds, the group headed back on their way. They reached the junction in the tunnels and turned southerly. The passage opened into a spacious cave. The floor, unlike elsewhere, was remarkably smooth, an obvious sign of work by intelligent creatures. Unsophisticated drawings on the walls depicted large spiders, centipedes, scorpions, and similar creatures. The largest drawing, surprisingly skillful, showed a spider with a humanoid torso, holding in its humanlike arms an unfurled scroll and a severed head with pointy ears. In the cave's center stood four alarmingly humanlike creatures -- naked, with long, filthy hair and blank eye sockets -- their decomposed bodies seeming to fall apart as they shambled toward the party.

The companions quickly searched the bodies and found nothing other than the Zombies' weapons. The druid cast Vigor on Asteriskes and Lesser Vigor on himself and Admiral Barky. Then they continued on their way.

The chamber was unusually wide a large barricade impeded egress. Felan noticed that the floor was dotted with countless small footprints throughout the dust. They weren't sure, but the adventurers suspected the prints were made by some sort of vermin. Anaka easily scampered over the barricade. After several minutes of effort Felan, Admiral Barky, and Asteriskes joined her. Suddenly they heard a loud clicking and the sounds of dozens of tiny legs skittering down the walls.

"Go away!" yelled the riders as they approached the party.

Grimlock-1 goaded his mount into a charge, targeting Anaka, but missed, Centipede-1 attacked her, but missed; Admiral Barky closed with Centipede-2 and attacked, hitting for 7; Felan flanked Centipede-1 and attacked, hitting for 3; Grimlock-2 goaded his mount into a charge - provoking an Attack of Opportunity from Admiral Barky, who hit for 8 - and targeted Asteriskes, but missed, Centipede-2 attempted a bite, but missed; Anaka attacked Centipede-1, hitting for 9; Asteriskes attacked Centipede-2, hitting for 11.

Grimlock-1 drew his battleaxe and targeted Felan, hitting for 4, Centipede-1 also attacked Felan, but missed; Admiral Barky flanked Centipede-2 and attacked, but missed; Felan attacked Centipede-1, hitting for 1; Grimlock-2 drew his battleaxe and targeted Asteriskes, hitting for 6, Centipede-2 also attacked Asteriskes, hitting for 7 + 3 Dex damage; Anaka attacked Centipede-1, hitting for 11; Asteriskes attacked Centipede-2, hitting for 12 and taking him out and unseating his rider, but the Dwarf missed with his cleave.

Grimlock-1 continued his combat with Felan, hitting for 6, while Centipede-1 missed his attack on the druid; Admiral Barky attacked Grimlock-2, hitting for 9; Felan attacked Centipede-1 for 6; Grimlock-2 continued his combat with Asteriskes, hitting for 11; Anaka attacked Centipede-1 for 9, taking it out; Asteriskes attacked Grimlock-2, hitting for 17.

Grimlock-1 retaliated against Asteriskes, hitting for 7; Admiral Barky moved to flank Grimlock-1 and attacked, but missed; Felan attacked Grimlock-1, hitting for 1; Anaka attacked Grimlock-1, hitting for 6; Asteriskes attacked Grimlock-1, hitting critically for a total of 48 and taking him out.

Felan gave Asteriskes an antidote for the poison from the centipede bite and cast Lesser Restoration to give him back 1 of his Dex points, and healed him. Anaka cast Opportunistic Piety to heal Felan. Then the companions looted the bodies.

After looking around the room, they chose to head in the direction that was not barricaded. The floor was covered with all kinds of garbage and litter. Prints of hundreds of thin legs were everywhere. Soon the possible source of the mess became visible as the adventurers spied three enormous centipedes eating carrion. They were overseen by a towering, eyeless warrior wielding a heavy flail and covered in scars from head to toe.

After looting the body, the adventurers headed over to the barricade - led by Anaka who was eager to set it on fire. When they reached it, however, they saw that three centipedes had climbed up the walls of the room beyond, in which there were also 4 more Grimlocks. There was an iron door visible at the far end of the inner room, behind the Grimlock guards.

Admiral Barky moved to a defensive stance; Felan stepped up beside his familiar and cast Frost Breath through the barrier into the room beyond, doing 2 points of damage and Dazing everyone in the room except Grimlock-2, who Saved; Grimlock-2 used his bow and targeted Felan, hitting for 7; Grimlock-1 was dazed; Anaka threw a bomb through the barricade, targeting Grimlock-1, she missed and hit the floor at his feet, still managing to splash Grimlock-1, Grimlock-2, and Centipede-1 with flaming oil and starting the barricade burning; Asteriskes targeted Centipede-3 with his longbow, hitting for 9; Grimlock-3 was dazed; Grimlock-4 was dazed.

Admiral Barky moved to protect Felan; Felan cast Summon Natures Ally and called a Dire Wolf into being in the room beyond the barricade, blocking the passage behind their adversaries, Dire Wolf attacked Grimlock-3, but missed; Grimlock-2 drew his great axe and attacked Dire Wolf, but missed; Grimlock-1 shot through the barricade at Admiral Barky, but missed; Anaka threw another bomb at Grimlock-1, this time hitting and doing 5 points of damage as well as catching him on fire, everyone around him also took 1 point of damage from the fire, the barricade catching further as well; Asteriskes attacked Centipede-3, hitting for 14; Grimlock-3 drew his axe and attacked Dire Wolf, but missed; Grimlock-4 attacked Dire Wolf, hitting for 9.

Admiral Barky held his action; Felan cast Flaming Sphere on Grimlock-1, hitting for 4, Dire Wolf attacked Grimlock-3, hitting for 11; Grimlock-2 targeted Anaka with his bow, but missed; Grimlock-1 targeted Anaka and shot, but missed; Anaka threw her last bomb and hit Grimlock-1 for 3 more points, as well as damaging everyone around him and insuring that the barricade was engulfed in flame; Asteriskes continued his barrage on Centipede-3, hitting for 9 and killing him; Grimlock-3 attacked Dire Wolf, but missed; Grimlock-4 attacked Dire Wolf, but missed.

Admiral Barky held; Dire Wolf attacked Grimlock-4, hitting for 18, and disappeared, Felan cast Summon Natures Ally and called a Crocodile into being in the midst of their adversaries, Crocodile attacked Grimlock-1, but missed; Grimlock-2 drew his axe and attacked Crocodile, hitting for 12; Grimlock-1 also used his axe to attack Crocodile, hitting for 6; Anaka cast Ray of Frost at Grimlock-1, but missed; Asteriskes attacked Centipede-2, but missed; Centipede-2 attacked Crocodile, hitting for 4; Grimlock-4 attacked Crocodile, but missed.

Admiral Barky held; Felan shot at Grimlock-2, hitting for 4; Grimlock-2 drew his bow again and targeted Anaka, but missed; Anaka hit Grimlock-2 with another spear for 7; Asteriskes continued to target Centipede-2, but missed.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

THE FUNNY THINGS:Katy, when Ken's dazed character hit her instead of their adversary: Ow! Stupid Dwarf!Bruce and Cathy, about something the party had used to great advantage during the run: Attacks of Opportunity be wonderful! - I think they suck!Ken, as the party was rolling dice: I missed...oh, are we doing initiatives?Bruce, about one of his rolls: That would be a natural 1 that' s unadjusted, to a 1.

THE ADVENTURE:The party headed out of the chamber following a southerly path. They arrived in a small, almost featurelss chamber. They caught a glimpse of campfire which showed them four Drow in elaborate armor gathered around a modest blaze. They looked tired, but alert.

Asteriskes closed and attacked, hitting a Drow critically and taking him down; Anaka closed with another Drow, but missed; the Drow targeted Felan, provoking an Attack of Opportunity from Anaka, who hit for 8 and took him down; Admiral Barky closed and attacked, but missed; Felan closed and attacked, but missed; the Drow dropped his crossbow and grabbed his rapier to retaliate, but missed the druid; the last D retaliated against Admiral Barky, having drawn his sword as well, but missed.roAsteriskes joined Felan, but missed his attack; Anaka closed with the Drow engaged with Admiral Barky, hit for 8, and took him out; Admiral Barky closed and flanked the remaining Drow, but missed; Felan continued his combat with the Drow, hitting for 7; Drow retaliated, hitting for 4.

As there were no other exits from this room, the adventurers retraced their steps and took the other path out of the room where they'd fought the Sonic Bats. A short walk brought them to a chamber covered entirely in luminescent, smelly goo. The passage must have been recently made. A glowing mass in the shape of an enormous slug slithered through the tunnel, its antennae oozing with a strange liquid.

"That's one of the creatures Mr P wanted." Anaka said.

"It's an aberration. We should kill it." Felan replied.

"If you're going to kill it, first we need to put some fur on it." Asteriskes referring to the druid's tendency to kill small, furry creatures at meal times.

Anaka threw a spear, but missed; Admiral Barky stood by the druid's feet, growling protectively; Felan moved into the room and threw a spear, but missed - Admiral Barky followed his master; Asteriskes drew his bow and shot, hitting for 14; the Shimmering Slug began to stir, roused to attention, and the the luminescent colors on his body began to swirl hypnotically, distracting the party.

Anaka threw another spear and missed again; Admiral Barky continued to guard Felan; Felan cast Flaming Sphere, positing the spell right in front of the Shimmering Slug, who failed his Save and took 9; Asteriskes attacked Anaka, hitting for 20 - "Ow! You stupid Dwarf! What ARE you doing?!" "Uh..I slipped...? Uh...sorry....;" the Shimmering Slug slithered to close with Felan, hitting for 9.

Anaka threw another spear and missed yet again; Admiral Barky attacked the Shimmering Slug, but missed; Felan moved to a better position and then moved the Flaming Sphere to continue attacking the Shimmering Slug, who Saved this time; Asteriskes moved in closer and shot, but missed; Shimmering Slug slithered over to the wall, and exited through a secret door, which closed behind him -- but not before Admiral Barky took his Attack of Opportunity, hitting critically for 19.

While the rogue drank a potion of Cure Light Wounds and gathered her spears, the druid cast Lesser Vigor on her. Then the group investigated the wall and figured out how to trigger the secret door. Beyond was a short, dead-ended passageway. It was empty. Asteriskes used his knowledge of caves and stonework to search for the next door through which the slug must have passed.

They opened the door revealing a trail of slime leading away from them. Eventually they reached a room that glowed with gold -- the walls and ceiling were lined with gold nuggets. They also saw the Shimmering Slug burrowing into the ground, his tail still visible.

Anaka closed and threw another spear, missing again; Admiral Barky closed and attacked, but missed; Asteriskes followed and attacked, hitting for 21 and taking out the Slug.

The party began discussing how to get such a large creature back to the museum. They did some calculations and decided to move the Sonic Bats into the bag of holding with the Neuronea. That left them one empty bag to stuff the Shimmering Slug in. It was tough work, but with the two Humans holding the bag open, the Dwarf was able to squish the Slug inside.

A very narrow passage about five feet wide headed toward a chamber with walls glistening with a metallic glow. It was undeniably pure gold. Asteriskes and Anaka studied the walls and determined that the nuggets really were gold. Just then the room shook and the ceiling fell in. Asteriskes was overcome by the falling debris, while Anaka, Felan, and Admiral Barky escaped unharmed. After pointing and laughing for a minute or two, they set to digging out their companion.

Just then, a Xorn rose silently from the floor in the middle of the room.

"I'm the owner of this cave and I would like you to leave it alone. I will give you 100 nuggets weighing a pound apiece if you will go away now."

Felan and Asteriskes argued for accepting the offer while Anaka grumbled that she'd rather kill the Xorn. The majority vote won. "Alright, we accept your offer," the druid said.

The Xorn was true to his word and passed over the agreed amount before disappearing back into the floor.

"He's gone! Let's get the rest of the gold!" Felan said.

"Hey! We made an agreement." Asteriskes

"Okay, okay" muttered the rogue and the druid.

The adventurers then headed back the way they'd come while chasing the slug because they'd noticed another passage along the way. The air was remarkably hot and humid thanks to a small, geyser-like basin in the center of the cave. The walls were overgrown with moss. The vapors rising from the bubbling water disappeared into an opening in the ceiling which might reach as high as the surface. The adventurers each took 2 points of damage from breathing in the hot air.

"That's a Belker," said Felan, noticing and recognizing the vaguely humanlike creature which took form from the steam vapors themselves.

Asteriskes closed and attacked, hitting for for 13; Anaka closed and attacked, hitting for 5; Admiral Barky moved to flank and attacked, hitting for 9; Belker shifted into smoke form and then attacked Asteriskes, surrounding him from above with his smoke and then striking with his claws, but Asteriskes made his Save; Felan moved closer and cast Frost Breath, hitting for 7 and Dazing the creature.

Asteriskes continued his combat with the Belker, hitting for 9; Anaka cast Ray of Frost, but missed; Admiral Barky attacked and hit for 10; Belker floated, dazed; Felan attacked with a dagger, hitting for 4.

Asteriskes attacked and hit for 13, the Belker regained corporeal form and slumped across the Dwarf as dead weight.

Once they had removed the corpse from their companion, the adventurers hastened to leave the steaming, hot room. Happy that they had closed the loop and now had no unexplored areas remaining behind them, the group headed back towards the gold nugget room to investigate its other exits. They opted to take the narrow path which ran along the far wall.

This cave seemed to be completely out of place in the caverns. It was furnished with a state of the art writing table with a small bookstand on it. Pieces of parchment, inkpots, and unfolded scrolls covered almost all of the table's surface. A cloak rack with some old and bleached tabards and mantles completed the impression that this must be some sort of study.

Anaka searched the desk for traps and, finding none, then began searching the drawers. As she did, one of the cloaks disengaged itself from the coat-rack and attempted to wrap itself about her. It did not manage to gain hold, although it ended up lying across her shoulder. The rogue struck with her dagger and hit the creature for 6.

Admiral Barky closed and attacked the Cloaker, but missed; Cloaker attacked Anaka, grabbing for a better grip and catching her; Asteriskes held his action, debating what to do; Felan closed and cast Vigor on Anaka; Anaka slashed at the Cloaker, but missed.

Admiral Barky attacked, but missed; Cloaker attacked Anaka, but missed; Asteriskes closed and attacked, but missed; Felan attacked Cloaker, but missed; Anaka struggled free of the Cloaker, which then hovered in the air.

Admiral Barky attacked and missed; the Cloaker took flight, provoking Attacks of Opportunity from everyone -- Admiral Barky missed, Asteriskes hit for 17, Felan hit for 5, and Anaka missed; Asteriskes drew his bow and shot at the creature, hitting for 11; Felan threw a spear, hitting for 3; Anaka threw a dagger and hit for 5.

After taking 7 magical scrolls from the desk -- putting them into some spare scroll cases they found in one of the drawers -- the group headed back out the way they came. They returned to the large gold nugget room and took the remaining southern path out of it.

The most prominent feature of this cavern was a chasm, about forty feet wide, dividing it in two. A transparent, eaten-out shell of some huge slug or snail served as a makeshift bridge between the two sides. The ceiling was probably at least 30 feet up. Felan saw two huge bats hanging from that ceiling with their wings folded about them. The druid pointed them out to his companions.

Anaka cast Light of Lunia and began to glow; Admiral Barky waited protectively at Felan's feet; Dire Bat-1 remained hanging above the bridge; Asteriskes shot an arrow, but missed; Felan used his sling, hitting for 2; Dire Bat-2 swooped at Felan and attacked, but missed.

Anaka shot a bolt of energy from her spell, hitting Dire Bat-1 for 1; Admiral Barky continued to hold his action; Dire Bat-1 held his action; Asteriskes shot Dire Bat-1, hitting for 7; Felan slung another bullet, but missed; Dire Bat-2 returned to his spot and faced the party again.

With their way cleared, the adventurers headed over the bridge, following the direction the bat went.

A curved passage became straighter and straighter. It was as long as the eye could see and definitely led to another cave system. However, there wasn't time to wonder where that passage might lead as four foul-smelling, scaled humanoids met the party at the entrance, weapons and shields at the ready.

Anaka threw a spear at the lead Troglodyte, but missed; Asteriskes closed and attacked Troglodyte-1, hitting for 13; Troglodyte-1 retaliated, hitting the Dwarf for 5; Troglodyte-2 held his action; Troglodyte-4 held; Felan cast Summon Nature's Ally and called a Dire Wolf who appeared behind Troglodyte-4 and immediately attacked, hitting for 14; Admiral Barky stayed by Felan and barked loudly; Troglodyte-3 held.

Anaka threw another spear and missed again; Asteriskes continued his combat with Troglodyte-1, hitting for 19 and taking him out; Troglodyte-2 stepped over his fallen combat and attacked Asteriskes, hitting for 2; Troglodyte-4 turned and retaliated against the Dire Wolf, but missed; Felan threw a spear at Troglodyte-2, hitting for 6; the Dire Wolf retaliated against Troglodyte-4, but missed; Admiral Barky held; Troglodyte-3 held.

With combat over, Anaka searched the bodies while Felan cast Lesser Vigor on Asteriskes. When they were ready, they headed back the way they'd came and took the path that branched off just at the edge of the bridge.

The elongated and narrow cave could be compared to a hole dug out by a predatory creature. Constricted and tapered, the cavern required a great deal of care to pass through. A monstrosity of a serpentine shape darted out of a fissure, waving the four tentacles that surrounded its bloody beak.

Admiral Barky attacked, hitting for 8; Felan attacked, but missed; Asteriskes attacked, but missed; Anaka threw a spear, hitting for 5; Grick attacked Felan, hitting three times for a total of 30, and rendering the druid unconscious.

Monday, November 3, 2008

So the day is upon us. Tuesday will be cool and rainy here in the southeast, but that doesn't matter. What does matter is that it's Election Day. If you are a citizen 18 years of age or older, you have the right to have a say in the governance of your country. It's quite possibly one of the most important decisions you'll make in your life, certainly in the next four years. The first amendment guarantees you the right to freedom of speech, so make your voice heard. If you took advantage of Early Voting opportunities -- like we did -- good for you, if you didn't -- GO VOTE!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

THE FUNNY THINGS:Ken, singing (guess the tune): Let's roll initiative again!Cathy and Katy, about the adversary's initiative roll: He got a zero! - That means he doesn't get to go, right?Cathy, Katy, and Ken, about an adversary the party faced: I don't know why I think it's a her. - It is. You have deemed it a her. - You have DM'ed it a her.Ken, after his character had scored a critical hit: Oh yeah! Who's the dwarf? Who's the dwarf?

THE ADVENTURE:As they gathered up the loot and prepared to head back to Montrill, the party chatted with the Dwarves who had come to their aid. They learned that the group was a local militia unit led by a Dwarf named Ethan Allan; they called their unit the Silver Mountain Dwarves. The band was well known to King Reginald and aided him whenever he had work in the mountains. They had been glad to answer his call this time, too. Allan and his soldiers were a friendly, merry bunch and the adventurers enjoyed getting to know them as they worked. When they were ready, the whole group headed out on the return to Montrill. As they walked, Ethan Allan asked them what had happened, so Anaka, Asteriskes, and Felan told him the story of their adventures.

"Vegepygmies, eh? You know, there's a guy who's been in Montrill asking all sorts of questions about unusual creatures...he'd really be interested in that."

"What guy?" Anaka asked the Dwarf.

"Oh, I don't know, he came from Woodside and he's really interested in odd creatures that have never been seen before. He's been in town for a while."

"Probably the curator of the museum," Asteriskes told the thief, sotto voce.

After two uneventful days of travel, Ethan Allan and the group parted ways amicably at the Mayor's house. The servants welcomed them back and showed them to their original rooms. Anaka, Asteriskes, and Felan were thrilled to see clean clothes, warm baths, and large comfortable beds waiting for them. Shortly after they'd had time to clean up, each of the adventurers was roused by a servant informing them that the king would like them to come and dine with him.

"I must hear about your adventure! Were you able to catch the thief?" King Reginald asked eagerly, shaking their hands and greeting them warmly.

Anaka spun a wonderful tale incorporating all the events and alluding to the fact that they had Cyvorak's head.

King Reginald was also very interested in the Vegepygmies. "Mr. Peabody, the curator of the Woodside Museum is in town. I know that he is interested in these sorts of creatures."

"Are you asking us to bring him a specimen?" Asteriskes asked.

"No, no, no. I don't know what he needs specifically, but it so happens that he is meeting with me tomorrow morning. Will you please come and join us?" The king invited.

The adventurers agreed readily.

"By the way, don't worry about the sceptre. The most important thing is that I got it back. Besides, you rid the country of that thief -- and from what you've told me, he was attempting to become more than just a two-bit thief and could have become quite an annoyance to not just myself but the entire country. You have done me a great service. In return, my sorcerer will gladly identify any items you need identified. You need only supply him with the material components of the spell. There are two jewelers in town who can help -- Jasper Cutter and Jules Bijoux."

The rest of the evening was filled with friendly conversation and delectable foods. After a few hours, King Reginald returned to his home and the party went up to bed. They woke rested and delighted to see that the household staff had brought trays of breakfast up to each room. They ate and refreshed themselves before going to meet the king.

King Reginald and a Mr. Peabody -- a skinny, elderly man with gray hair -- were glad to see them and introductions were made.

"I understand you ran across some creatures that you had not seen before." said the curator.

"Yes," Felan replied.

"And you are familiar with the museum at Woodside and you don't recall seeing them in that museum?"

"Yes."

"Sire, I think you should send someone to get some specimens for me, if you could sir. I could use them for the museum," Mr. Peabody said, turning his attention to King Reginald.

"That's a good idea. I'll ask Ethan and his unit to work on it." The monarch replied.

"You seem to be able to take care of yourself in circumstances where you are unsure of what you're dealing with. I've been looking for someone to perform a service for the museum...and the country. There are tunnels and caverns in these mountains which contain odd creatures. We have descriptions of them, their abilities, and drawings of them, but we don't have actual specimens. I know they have been reported in these particular caverns to the west of Montrill. I'll give you the information that we have -- if you are willing to go after these creatures. You will be paid 5000gp for each creature -- dead or alive -- that you bring back." Mr. Peabody said to the adventurers.

As the group nodded in agreement, the curator handed out some parchments. " I will also loan you two of the largest bags of holding the museum has -- to transport the specimens -- the bags are property of the museum, so I would expect you to return them upon completion of the task, of course."

Accepting the assignment, the group bid farewell to Mr. Peabody. As they were leaving, King Reginald said to them, "If you go and get those pearls, my sorcerer is available this afternoon."

The party headed up the street. Jasper Cutter's shop was nearest, so they stopped in and bought enough pearls to get each magic item identified. Later that afternoon, they returned to King Reginald's place and met with the sorcerer. He went over the items and when he reached the broken sword hilt with some of its gems missing, he started back and clutched his throat.

"What's the matter?" asked Anaka

"This is the Blood Conciliator! This is a very dangerous item." said the jeweler.

"What should we do with it?"

"I think you should give it to the king."

"Does that mean we don't get any money for it?" muttered Asteriskes.

"I think you should give it to the king." The jeweler repeated.

The sorcerer identified the rest of their items and the group thanked him before leaving to discuss who got what. Asteriskes took the gauntlets of ogre power and the bracers of armor. Anaka took the daggers, the potions of Cure Light Wounds, one of the holy symbols of Xhitigal, the 3 remaining oil flask/bombs, and the 14 short spears she'd been using since they snagged them out of the cave complex. Felan also kept the short spears he'd been using from the stash he'd split with Anaka.

At dinner that evening, they presented the hilt of the Blood Conciliator to King Reginald. He was very pleased and told them of his intention to place it in the treasury with the rest of the crown jewels, since it was a weapon of legendary status.

"By the way, I never gave you the rest of your payment. I had promised you an additional amount upon completion of your task." He then handed them each a small purse containing 20,000gp. "You've done most excellently well and you have my thanks."

After another delightful evening of good food and conversation, the party returned to their rooms for another restful night as the mayor's guests. They woke to another filling breakfast awaiting them. They ate their fill and then headed into town to get supplies for the quest Mr. Peabody had set them on. They passed the day happily shopping, investigating various options, and eventually stocked themselves up. Then they returned to the mayor's house for another restful night followed by a yummy breakfast. They had packed up the night before, so after eating, they consulted the map Mr. Peabody had given them, bid their farewells to the mayor and his staff, and headed out.

Anaka led the way followed by Asteriskes, Felan, and Admiral Barky. Anaka deftly jumped out of the way just as the ground in front of her burst apart, making way for the creature that was clambering out of the ground.

An Ankheg! gasped Asteriskes and Felan simultaneously as Anaka landed safely to the side of the creature.

After briefly admiring the excellent tunnel-work of the Ankheg, the party got back on the road, knowing they had about 3 days to go before reaching the area specified by Mr. Peabody. The rest of the day passed uneventfully. They made camp in a nice grove. The druid caught some small woodland creatures and prepared a nice meal for his companions before everyone settled down for the night. Asteriskes took the first watch, with Admiral Barky keeping him company. Felan took the next watch. Anaka joined him for the last watch. They heard a crashing coming toward them through the underbrush. Felan cast Dawn, which immediately awoke Asteriskes and Admiral Barky. An ogre broke through the trees, charging for the party.

As the sun was rising, the group decided to break camp. Felan scrounged around the area and gathered enough to make a hearty breakfast. They then resumed their marching order and headed back out. The day passed uneventfully.

Near evening they began to see pink veins in some of the rock faces. Mr P had told them this was an indication that they were reaching the area he was interested in. They made camp. The night passed calmly. In the morning, the druid again prepared a breakfast for his friends. Then they broke camp and resumed their march.

A little black furry critter crossed the path, stopped in front of the party - startled - and cried out in a loud and frightened voice.

"We should get away from here as quickly as possible before Mama Bear comes," said Felan knowingly.

"Can we get by it?" asked Anaka.

"Let me help," Felan replied. The druid came up beside her, used his Handle Animal skills to calm the cub enough for the party to skirt by it safely.

Not too much later, around noontime, they reached the mouth of a cave which looked distinctly like the site indicated to them by Mr. Peabody. Anaka searched the entryway, but found no traps. They entered the cave, which became a tunnel that led them underground.

The tunnel led to a cavern with a high ceiling rising perhaps four or five dozen feet above the ground. Short stalagmites rose from the guano-covered floor. The flapping of hundreds of wings echoed throughout the cave and an overwhelming stench of animals hung in the air. The cave was literally overwhelmed by bats. As the bats were not bothering them, the party advanced, avoiding the area where the majority of the bats were gathered. They reached a fork in the tunnel and chose to go to the right.

Apart from the high ceiling and the notable absence of any stalactites or stalagmites, there was nothing out of the ordinary in this chamber. The adventurers carefully entered the room. They had barely entered the room when a Neuronea charged at them.

Admiral Barky closed and attacked, hitting for 9; Neuronea retaliated against Admiral Barky, hitting for 7, and Admiral Barky failed his Save and fell asleep; Felan was still sleeping; Anaka threw a spear, but missed; Asteriskes targeted Neuronea with his bow, hitting for 14.

Admiral Barky growled lightly in his sleep; Neuronea closed and attacked Asteriskes, hitting for 10, but Asteriskes made his Save against the sleep; Felan continued sleeping; Anaka threw another spear, hitting for 5; Asteriskes drew his great sword and attacked, hitting for 20 and taking her out, the Dwarf then performed a coup de gras.

Asteriskes and Admiral Barky gathered up the body and stuffed it into one of the bags of holding Mr. Peabody had provided. Anaka retrieved her spears. Then they searched the room and found what was probably the Neuronea's stash: 60 gp, 3 gold rings, and a pearl necklace. By the time they had finished, Felan and Admiral Barky had woken up. When they were ready, the group retraced its steps and headed down the other fork in the tunnel.

The battered body of a dark-skinned, white-haired humanoid -- slain by some unknown creature -- was sprawled on the uneven cave floor. Long stalactites hung from the ceiling. Four large bats dived at the party with a loud screeching.

Asteriskes swung his sword at the nearest Sonic Bat, hitting critically for a total of 66, chopping the bat into unrecognizable pieces which could not be taken back to the museum; Admiral Barky jumped at the bat near him and attacked, but missed; Felan attacked the Sonic Bat near him, hitting for 6; Anaka struck at the Sonic Bat near her, but missed; Sonic Bat-2 let out a potent sound wave, doing 5 points of Sonic Damage to everyone, but they all Saved against being stunned; Sonic Bat-3 attacked Admiral Barky, but missed; Sonic Bat-4 attacked Felan, but missed.

Asteriskes closed with Sonic Bat-2, hitting for 14 points of subdual damage, knocking the creature, unconscious, to the ground; Admiral Barky jumped at Sonic Bat-3 and attacked, hitting for 9 and taking it out; Felan attacked Sonic Bat-4, hitting for 7 points of subdual damage and taking his rival down.

They gathered up the two Sonic Bat corpses that were salvageable for the museum's use and put them in the other bag of holding. Felan identified the dead body in the room as a male Drow. They found a very interesting note as well as some money and other valuable items on his body.